Ranma: X-Genes
by Kaosu Tatsu
Summary: Ranma with claws. Hmmm....
1. Default Chapter

  
Dloon Reddragon {dloonusa@hotmail.com}  
Ch.1  
  
I do not own any of the characters in this fic, and do not claim to have any kind of intent of making money of the characters involved. Don't sue me because I have no money to speak off. Thank you.  
  
  
*Author's Note*  
This is my first fanfic attempted, so C&C is welcome, flames WILL be ignored. I got the inspiration from the idea of My two favorite series. This is a fusion, not a crossover, so you will not be seeing any actually X-men showing up, but you will probably see some characters in the Ranma world develop X-men powers.  
This fanfic is set after Manga 38, though it will not touch to much on that (of course the I am using data gathered by other authors so it might not be exactly to canon). Plus if your are a anti-akane person, I hate to disappoint, but I follow the idea of Akane as the favored fiancee, and will show that somewhat in the fic. I do have some qualms with Ukyou and Shampoo as fiancees as 1] Ukyou seems just a tad obsessive, and 2} Shampoo, while smart, just keeps trying the wrong way to get Ranma.  
Pre-readers are welcome (specially since I have no idea where this fanfic will go from here). Now that is out of the way, lets get on with it.  
  
Ranma 1/2: X-genes__Chapter 1__________________________________________  
  
It was a beautiful day at the Tendou Dojo. The birds where singing, the sun was shining brightly, and all the flowers where blooming nicely. Sad isn't it, when the people in the dojo where not as happy as the day seem to require them to be. For there was disharmony in the house, specially in the light of the tragedy that happened just a few days before.  
  
Inside the main building, Kasumi was busy at work in the kitchen, making lunch for her family, apparently oblivious to the pain two of the occupants in the house where going through. Or was she?  
  
" Ara, I really should send these packages to those good friends of Ranma and Akane," she said, gathering a few wrapped bentos and separate letters together for the post man to deliver, with a slightly strange smile on her face ( on anyone else, it might be called evil, but this is Kasumi we're talking about here, so it can't be that, surely).  
  
On the porch, two old fools, errrrr men where playing shogi, continuously cheating as is their wont to do. One was a heavy set man, dressed in a dirty white gi, with a white bandanna covering his baldness, and wearing glasses with wire loops holding them to his ears. The other man was a stern looking, thin, tall man dressed in a dark gi, with long hair flowing down his shoulders, and a thick mustache.   
  
Both where drinking sake rather heavily as they conversed and played, with a stack of empty bottles stacked near by. It was obvious that both men where quite plastered ( or empty-headed ) by the conversion they carried on. Did I mention the one in a dark gi was wailing a way with a minor waterfall coming out of his eyes?  
  
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! Our children didn't get married, Genma! Now our dreams will never come true! WHAAAAAA!!!" Soun wailed, while sneaking in a few pieces while Genma was distracted by the waterworks.  
  
Genma sipped some more sake, then said, " Soun, it's all Ranma's fault! If that lousy boy just did the manly thing, they would be married along time ago. But that ungrateful boy just had not listen t his wise father. Next time, we'll marry em for sure. Hey, is that a 100 yen piece?" While Soun looked around for the money, Genma snatched the extra pieces off, and added a few of his own.  
  
Soun looked back up, " I don't see any yen lying around."  
  
"Must of been the sunlight in my eyes then. "  
  
"But your right about Ranma. We should have forced him to wed Akane a long time ago. He's just being irresponsible, if he was a real man, he would have gotten rid of his other fiancees quite some time ago. I just can't believe that boy."  
  
Kasumi, upon passing by from putting the parcels out for the postman to deliver, heard the discussion between the two fathers. With a peeved expression upon her tranquil face, Kasumi went into the kitchen to get some tea and leftover cookies for the two men to snack on. Then she carried the snacks out onto the porch, and sat down near her father.  
  
"But father, wasn't Mr. Saotome responsible for most of Ranma's fiancees? After all, he did engage Ranma to Ukyou-san, and that takeout girl, even though he had already engaged Ranma to one of us? And didn't he eat the first prize at the Jocketsu village, causing Ranma to fight Shampoo-san, which led to the current engagement to her?"  
  
Soun paused to think over Kasumi's words, and with a meaningful glare at Genma, " You know, sweet daughter, you just may be right."  
  
"And father, didn't Mr. Saotome teach Ranma the Nekoken, as well as taking him to Jusenkyo all in the name of making Ranma a 'man amongst men' , though in truth it just made Ranma unsure around people, and shy around girls especially? Such that Ranma might panic when he is placed in a situation dealing with his feelings?"  
  
Dark ki started to wisp up out of Soun's head, as more of what Kasumi said started to penetrate. His glare at Genma upped a notch in intensity as Genma started looking nervous, and was starting to creep back slightly.  
  
" He seemed to have lapsed in teaching Ranma any of the basic manners that almost all children are taught. Of course that was probably just because he felt that Ranma would be less of man for it. But I don't see why, since some manners would make it easier for him to get along with Akane. Even with my help, Ranma has a long way to go before his mouth doesn't run off without him thinking first. That's probably why they fight all the time. Either that are they don't know how to handle their feelings for each other."  
  
By now, Soun was in full demon-head mode, all target on Genma, " GENMA, THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!!!! How could you do all that, knowing that one day our family's would be joined one day? How could you!!!!!"  
  
Genma fell back, stuttering all the while, and quaking (like the coward he is) where he lay. "I-I-It was for the boy's own good! I-It was all to make him a stronger martial artist, and to make him the best in the Art. And look at him now! He's probably the best of his generation, and probably one of the best in the world! I did my all to make him a man amongst men. And even with his curse, he is perfectly fine, even if he needs to get rid of the other girls besides Akane."  
  
Kasumi said with a small bit of rebuke in her tone ( with someone as bad as Genma, who wouldn't get tired of his ways after sometime?), "But what good is it if he is the best if he has a hard time being around those he cares for without making them mad at him, or hurting their feelings? After all, he does have to get along with his future wife doesn't he?"  
  
"Well he can just go on some training trips when he has problems with his wife. That's what I always do. After all, separation makes the heart grow fonder! That way he would never have any real trouble with his wife!"  
  
BLAM!BLAM!BLAM!BLAM!  
  
Pity the poor fool that he didn't see Nodako Saotome, his wife walk up behind during this last part, or he wouldn't have suffered the major malleting that he did by the mysterious mallet that all females seem to have. Of course its easy to see where some of Ranma's verbal stupidity came from, isn't it?  
  
Kasumi walked off from the massacre with a innocent expression on her face, well aware of what she caused. Intent on checking on two of the other occupants of the house, she stopped just long enough to watch Soun take a bite out of the cookie, and pass out from the taste ( or maybe the ingredients) of said cookie.  
  
She headed into the kitchen, and with the prepared tray in hand, she went up the stairs to Akane's room. Opening the door, she saw both Akane and Nabiki sitting in the room, Nabiki in a chair, and Akane huddled on the bed.  
  
Nabiki looked kind of bad, with bruises on her arms, face and legs. She also had a since of fatigue about her, as well has soreness, that led Kasumi to believe that Nabiki had a 'sparring' session with Akane just a little while earlier. Obviously about Nabiki's part in the failed wedding attempt, and how much Akane disapproved of Nabiki's actions. Kasumi was slightly disappointed with Nabiki, special on how obvious it was that Akane loved Ranma.  
  
Akane on the other hand, didn't look nearly as good as Nabiki. Her eyes where puffy, and it looked like she had been crying for some time. Her hair was disheveled, and her clothing was a mess, much like the rest of the room. It was also well evident that the rooms occupant hadn't been sleeping well since the attempt a few days before. Especially with the rings under her eyes, and the condition the bed was in.  
  
Kasumi took all this in, and noticed neither had even notice her arrival. Clearing her throat, she got their attention, and handed each a plate of cookies and a glass of milk. She took her own plate, and sat down besides Akane, giving her a hug in the process. Akane returned the hug with a strong hug of her own, then started on munching her snack.  
  
Kasumi paused for a second, then " Akane, how are you holding up? I know you where disappointed with how the wedding turned out, but I was worried about how you are holding up."  
  
With a tired sigh, Akane softly answered, " I think am doing better. But I still can't understand why Ryouga was involved in the fighting, as well as what part Nabiki played in the insanity then. I sorta expected the others to try to disrupt my own wedding, but my friend and own sister? That's what I can't understand. Its obvious that Ukyou and Shampoo wouldn't give up without a fight, even though its obvious," here Akane paused for a moment, an internal struggle evident on her face, " how much we love each other. And the baka Kunos never know when to give up, but my own sister selling us out. How could you Nabiki!" With this Akane slumped down even more, and looked more depressed.  
  
Kasumi hugged Akane again, trying to comfort her. "I'm sure Nabiki had a good reason to do something like what she did, don't you Nabiki?"  
  
Nabiki winced a bit as she moved around to get comfortable. She started playing with one of her auburn tipped bangs as she thought about her answer. Distracted by the new hair color at the tips of her locks, she examined them for a minute, before shaking her head, and organizing her thought for the upcoming trial.  
  
"Well imotochan, there was more to it than just to make money, although don't go spreading it around, it might damage my reputation. First off, it was to know where everyone is at, and what length they are willing to go to break you and Ranma up. You might not have noticed, but Cologne wasn't involved in this. I think she might have taken a hint from Jusendo about trying to force Ranma into something he isn't willing to do, especially if it involves separating you and him Probably feels its not wise to try to force someone who is strong enough to destroy a god-king in a one on one fight.  
  
"I also think that Ukyou was talked into the desperation attack with the exploding food by Shampoo. That's because Konatsu saw Shampoo come over, and talk to Ukyou a few hours before the wedding. I seriously doubt she will do something like that again, especially with Ranma mad at her. And don't worry about Shampoo, as well as Mousse, I've got plans for handling those two that makes sure they never try anything ever again if I can do anything about it.  
  
"As for Kuno-chan, well, Kuno-chan is Kuno. I guess I am going to have a long talk with him about bringing live steel with him to my little sister's wedding." Nabiki adds with a cold voice, "Rest assured that he will never try that stunt again. And for Kodachi, well, lets just say she is finally getting the help she has been needing for a long time, and rightly deserves."  
  
"Wh-what about Ryouga? He's my friend, why would he help destroy my wedding?" Akane asked in a soft voice.  
  
"I believe he was just being the lost boy, and didn't have a clue where he was when the fighting was going on."  
  
"So he was just getting the Nannichuan for Ranma? That was such a nice thing for him to do for Ranma. He's such a good friend to us, I just wish Ranma would treat him like a friend, and quit picking on him."  
  
Nabiki gains a incredulous look on her face, and she thinks back to a conversation she and Ryouga had a few months earlier.  
  
---Flash Back-------  
  
"You do realize that the condition to this agreement is that when you find a girl that loves you for you, that if a situation comes up that might lead to her knowing your curse, I will tell her."  
  
"I'm aware. Just as long as you don't actively try to let her find out, it doesn't matter."  
  
"I'll take that as a yes. Arigato for the business." Nabiki says while flashing a shark like smile.  
  
----Present-------  
  
Nabiki gave Kasumi a nervous glance before continuing," Actually, not quite. He was fighting for himself to use the Nannichuan."  
  
"But why? He doesn't have a Jusenkyo curse."  
  
"Again, actually, he is cursed."  
  
Akane started to have a haunted expression on her face. "That can't be right. I saw him in the water at the water park, and he didn't change into anything then."  
  
"Akane, wasn't that the time that he and Ranma was fighting over the water-proof soap? That's why he didn't change in front of you."  
  
"Th-th-then what does he turn into?"  
  
"P-chan."  
  
"P-chan?"  
  
"P-chan."  
  
"P-chan, my pet piglet?" Akane asked with a maniacal expression.  
  
"P-chan, your pet piglet." Nabiki answered in a droll voice.  
  
The blue aura that surrounded Akane adds a nice unearthly effect to the room. Akane asked in a low, deadly voice, "How many people knew that Ryouga was P-chan?"  
  
Kasumi finally entered the conversation. "Well, everyone here, besides you and Nodako, knew, plus the china group, the Kunos, and probably a few people at your school. Not to mention all those nice people that came here for Ranma or you, and found out about it."  
  
"But why wasn't I told? Why didn't at least Ranma or even Ryouga-buta tell me?"  
  
Nabiki retook the control of the conversation. "Well, the people at school thought you knew, and the Kuno's just didn't care. As for the china gang, I would think that they were using Ryouga to get in between you and Ranma. I didn't tell you because Ryouga paid me not to. As for Ranma, he couldn't tell you because he gave Ryouga a vow of silence before you took him as your pet P-chan. Father and the rest didn't because it would reflect badly on Ranma's honor."  
  
"But why didn't Ryouga not tell me?"  
  
"Because he had a crush on you Akane. Plus he always got real shy whenever you came around him."  
  
But why didn't Ranma at least try to stop that hentai-buta, or at least give me some clue to that fact?" Akane accused.  
  
Both Nabiki and Kasumi pinned Akane with glares ( suddenly, phones around the world where ringing off their respective hooks, as hell was frozen over, and were in need of parkas and parts for their blast furnaces). Each then, with large sweatdrops, gazed at the other wondering at their sister's denseness.  
  
Nabiki was the one to speak. "Uhhh, sis, he DID give you clues, remember? Remember that time he snuck into your room? Why do you think he had a kettle, when he was in boy form? And remember all those name s he called both P-chan, and Ryouga? Or how he said when either was missing, that they where probably lost again? Not to mention all the other clues, and odd occurrences that happened. How many times does Ranma have to drop the clues before you take the hint?"  
  
  
Kasumi added, "yes Akane, even I was able to figure out who P-chan was, with that bandanna, and the sense of direction. I would have thought you would have figured it out after all this time."  
  
Akane hung her head, and thought back on all the times Ranma was picking on P-chan, all the time Ryouga attacked Ranma and she accused Ranma of being in the wrong. *** I can't believe I accused Ranma of being a pervert, when all this time he was trying to protect me from a true hemtai. How can I make it up to him, hurting him when he was protecting me from my own stupidity. He probably hates me for all I put him though .** Akane hung her head even more, the more she thought.  
  
Kasumi watched Akane sink into depression again, and chose (mainly so Akane wouldn't learn, and use the Perfect Shishi Hokdan while in the house) to alleviate some of her fears. "I'm sure Ranma would forgive you for your ignorance if you apologized to him. After all, he does love you."  
  
Both Akane and Nabiki gave Kasumi disbelieving looks. Kasumi gave an innocent expression. "What? I just guessed what she would be so depressed about. And its obvious about Ranma's feelings."  
  
With a weird look on her face, Nabiki stated, "and I always thought you were oblivious to the world around you. It proves how wrong I am. Huh, next thing I know, Ranma will learn to fly or something."  
  
"I doubt that Nabiki. Really, you sound like I am a airhead or something." Kasumi said with a little hint of warning in her voice.  
  
"No, its just that you suprised me. My own sister, being able to read people better than I can." Both started giggling, and the emotional high in the room drained away slightly, as even Akane grinned.  
  
Akane calmed down a bit. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up. But was there any other reason you did what you did, Nabiki?"  
  
"Um, yeah. I also did it because I thought it was too soon for the two of you to be married. I thought you and Ranma just wasn't ready to be married right now. I was planning let you have time till you where out of high school before having to worry about marriage."  
  
Silence suddenly filled the room as if it was a living thing. Nabiki took one look at Akane's calm face, and started edging away. Kasumi had a knowing look on her face. But Akane seemed to be deep in though.  
  
"But why didn't you ask me what I wanted? You just assumed you knew what I wanted," Akane suddenly queried.  
  
"If I asked you if you wanted to marry Ranma before the wedding attempt, what would you have told me? Probably something about not wanting to marry such a pervert, right?"  
  
"I-I guess your right. But now, now I guess I do want to marry that baka. I love him, Nabiki, and I guess it took all this just to realize it. But what if he doesn't love me? I can't swim, can't cook, and am just a 'kawaiikune tomboy' in his eyes. How can he love me, after all I've done to him?"  
  
"Akane-chan, you are going to have to ask him most of those questions, but if what I heard from the others is true, he defiantly loves you," Kasumi said.  
  
"I guess I will, but where is he? I haven't seen him for quite awhile, its almost like he was avoiding me, or something. He didn't go running to one of his others fiancees," at this, Akane started glowing blue, "did he? If that baka did, I'm going to stomp him till the NEXT millennium."  
  
"Now Akane, now you know that Ranma didn't do that. In fact, he's been in the dojo for most of the time, and when he's not there, he is in his room sleeping. He has barely ate anything since the wedding. I think he is still mad about what Ukyou-san and Shampoo-san did." Kasumi paused for a moment in thought before continuing. "Akane, why don't you go bring him something to eat, and talk to him while you're there."  
  
"But what will I bring him? If I bring him my cooking, he'll insult it, and I'll get mad, and we would never get a chance to talk."  
  
"I have a plate down in the oven. All you have to do is carry it, and some tea out to him for him to eat."  
  
Akane considered it for a moment, then deciding upon a course of action, got up, and hugged both her sisters, and walked out of the room heading for the kitchen. Nabiki and Kasumi looked at each other for a moment, then...  
  
"You do realize you just let Akane go into the kitchen by herself, don't you. The kitchen might not survive this attempt."  
  
"But all she would have to get is some tea, since I bought the instant stuff for her."  
  
"This is still Akane we are talking about here sis. If there is a way to mess up, she will find it."  
  
"Ara." And with that, both went down to head Akane off before another vile concoction was made.  
  
**** In the Dojo******  
  
Ranma was sitting in the middle of the dojo, contemplating the tragedy of the wedding attempt. As he went sat there, trying to meditate, the same thoughts that had been running through his head was currently making another loop. Why did Ukyou interfere with my wedding. She knows that I only see her as a friend, and that I love Akane. It should be obvious, with the fact that I killed for Akane, risked my life for Akane, and everything else that I did for her. Does Ukyou think that I would through myself into protecting someone if I hated that person. How can she betray me like that?  
  
Ranma got up, and walked over to the steel reinforced punching bag. Punching hard to relieve his frustrations, he kept on his line of thought. And Shampoo..., I always thought of her as a friend of sorts, but why doesn't she ever listen to me. I mean, its not like I tell her I'm not interested or anything. She just doesn't get the hint. Ranma sighs a little. I guess I am going to have to have a talk with them.  
  
Ranma puts that thought aside, and replaces it with one more interesting. Now on the other hand, I wonder what I am going to do with Pop and Happosai. I'm not really bothered by the wedding, and the curse, well I've had it so long now, and Mom doesn't't really care about my turning into a girl anymore, so the only reason I want the cure is for Akane. So I guess they get out with a minimum beating.  
  
Now Kuno on the other hand, well Kuno is going to be sorry he ever showed up, especially bringing the damn katana of his. I wonder if I can get Nabiki to do something to make him pay for his part. And his actions, his actions have gotten him a hell of a beating in store, from both me and Akane.  
  
Ryoga now, I guess he isn't going to get a beating for his part, at these Ranma got distracted by the powerful battle aura Akane was giving of in her room, wonder what all that was about. Anyway, I guess he isn't going to get it, cause it was his sense of direction that caused him to interfere, not any since of desperation, since he has Akari waiting for him. I wonder if they will have this much trouble when they marry, if they marry that is.  
  
Ranma continued his workout by offsetting his punches with hard kicks to the punching bag. Increasing his speed, he got lost in his thoughts, attacks, and the groan and smolder of the punching bags as his punches and kicks quickly went into amaguriken speeds, backed by his flaming hot aura surrounding his form.  
  
Akane walked into the dojo carrying a tray full of food for Ranma. She paused as she saw all the carnage surrounding her in the dojo. There was dust from all the cinder blocks Ranma crushed covering the floor, as well as the remains of many a training-dummy and post thrown into a corner. Ranma currently was pounding the hell out of the specialty bag, his movements so fast that at times he simply seemed to disappear. Akane watched on as the fire proof covering of the large bag started to smolder, and in some place seem to melt as Ranma's aura just kept getting hotter and hotter.  
  
With a sudden change in attack, Ranma perforated the solid steel core with thousands of finger strikes in the space of a couple of seconds. The use of so many Bakusai Tenketsu caused the steel to crumble, turning the reinforced bag, into one filled with granulated steel. Akane watched in shock as steel sand escaped from small tears in the bag.  
  
Watching Ranma set up another practice post, Akane decided to interrupt his workout. "Hey Ranma, Kasumi asked me to bring you some supper," she called out.  
  
She watched as Ranma directed an angry glare, then realization swept across his features, and his eyes softened into a gentler expression. "Hey Akane, how long have you been standing there?"  
  
"Long enough to see you destroy the punching bag, and in a rather familiar fashion as well. How long have you known Ryouga's technique?"  
  
Ranma looked sheepish for a moment before answering her. "Well, I though it might be useful to know and have, since it is an effective way to dig through rock and the like. Plus the effects it has for ones toughness and endurance really help. That, and I might want to surprise Ryouga one day, when we are having another fight."  
  
"But why don't you shrug off hits like Ryouga does, I mean he's tough enough to get hit by a truck, and gets right back up for more. I mean, you normally just dodge everything thrown at you, and it always seems that your opponents actually come close to defeating you."  
  
"One thing I learned from the masters I've studied under, was to never show ones true abilities during a fight unless one has to. They tended to only use enough skill to defeat an opponent without humiliating the opponent by crushing them. Plus, I get more practice when they come to attack me. If I just up and utterly destroyed them, where would my sparring partners come from? But...."  
  
"You mean you LET all that chaos go on? RANMA NO BAKA!!!! And to think you could have ended all that crap any time you wanted!?!!?!!" wih that, Akane reared back with mallet-sama held high.  
  
Ranma backed up frantically, stammering all he way. "N-n-n-now A-a-a-aka-akane, ya don't understand. I didn't know it would have come to this. Honest!!! Just put the mallet down, Akane. We can set it all right together! Yeah, we could go explain it together!!!!"  
  
But Akane would have none of it. With righteous fury, she finally cornered Ranma, and swung down for the punishing blow. Ranma desperately brought up his hands to block the descending blow, and somewhere in his mind, all the stress from the wedding attempt, combined with the anger at his friends, and frustration combined to break a barrier in his mind. It caused a reflex to trigger, and a few before unused muscles to tense, and do there job. Suddenly....  
  
......SNIKKTTTt.....  
  
Before the shocked form of Akane, six smoothly cut pieces of mallet head were detached from the base and sent flying into Ranma's face, knocking unconscious as was Akane's original intent.  
  
Ch.1 


	2. Chapter 2

Ch

Ch. 2

Here's the second excerpt of my fanfic, in which I do not own or blah blah blah, etc.I guess I'll add on the authors note at the end this time.

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A lone figure trudged along the mountainous side of the volcano.By the trail of toppled trees, and shattered boulders, it was quite evident that this was no ordinary man.And by the many twist, turns, and loops in the trail of this single traveler, one could easily tell that either this young man was either suffering from a major concussion and was wandering without a clue, or was the king of the lost, one Ryouga Hibiki.

Although one might wonder just how he could get so lost without trying (usually until one's head ached), it had been witnessed that Ryouga's sense of direction was so bad that it actually affected things around him that usually had very good senses of direction. For instance, upon passing a flock of homing pigeons that where headed for Kyoto, his curse caused them to end up in Brazil.GPS systems where known to blow whenever he passed within 30 feet of them.Some scientist even considered that he might be the opposite force to balance all the things with good senses of direction.

Although these interesting questions are something to ponder, the main thing, is that this figure is Ryouga, and he is lost.But although this normally usual, the reason he is wandering around, deep in thought, isn't.Instead of the usual 'its all Ranma's fault/ how much do I love Akane' thoughts running through his mind, something else was there instead.Something, which anyone who knew Ryouga well would be shocked to hear.

_Ak-akane doesn't love me.She loves Ranma.Why else would she marry him?And I can't blame even Ranma for this.He beat me in a something that his martial skills couldn't do anything to.Hell, I don't know how they fell in love, with her constantly beating him, and Ranma always abusing her feelings.But at least I have Akari. *Sighs* But does she love me, or does she love P-chan.With how pig-obsessed she is, it's almost impossible to tell, and do I really want to know if which she actually loves.I don't know if I could stand being loved only for my curse?_

_ _

_But wasn't that what was happening with Akane?She loves p-chan, but as a pet.And she sees me as a friend.But is she ever found out, she would understand!No she wouldn't forgive me that easily, if ever.She would hate me.What do I do?What should I do?_

_ _

__Ryouga's mind went back into the loop, with the same problem running through while he wandered aimlessly.He blindly kept going, not seeing anything because of his internal struggles.

Ryouga's trek gradually headed him into the volcanic crater, which just happened to have a pool of lava covering the floor of the crater.Ryouga was as lost in thought as he was lost when trying to navigate, so he never even saw the lava, or the smoke, or even the volcano.In fact, for him, it was getting colder as he got more depressed.It was a cold and dark place, although the dark might have been accounted for because of the smoke, not that he noticed.

He stumbled down the slope, not caring what was in front of him, his feet on autopilot.He got near the lava, and to anyone's surprise, if any where watching, headed across it.For some reason, the lava a few feet in front of Ryouga solidified and chilled so quickly, that by the time he got there, the rock was quite cool.He kept wandering around for some time, until he came back to reality on the upslope.Looking around, he was surprised by the hellish scene around him.

_Kuso, I really did get lost enough to wander into hell.Although it's a lot less crowded than I thought.Must be a vacation day going on or something, like how school's supposed to be._With that thought, he turned around, and noticed his path through the lava.Pondering a while at the strange path that seemed to glisten icily the closer it got to him.Looking down, he discovered the path ended at his feet, and realized that this was his path through the place.A thought struck him, making him wonder where the ice came from.

After shrugging it off as another weird phenomenon that he happened to witness in his life, he turned around and found himself in an old forest, with big furry humanoids running away from him, screaming in extreme terror._Damn sasquatches, beat up one of em for attacking ya, and they won't even stick around to give a guy directions._

Thinking back to the times he found himself in weird spacecraft's, with obnoxious aliens, and even the time he found himself on a planet full of ape-like men, this new oddity was nothing.Feeling for his ki, he felt another odd energy that hadn't been there earlier.Feeling it out, he looked down at himself to discover he had a fine coat of ice on himself.

With some curiosity, and a lot of concentration, he focused on manipulating the energy.Suddenly, he found himself frozen in a massive block of ice that had frozen suddenly around him.Heaving mightily, he broke free, and began to grin wildly.

________________________________________________________________________

For Ranma, the room came blurringly back into focus in fits and starts.After the room had quit trembling and spinning for about a minute, he slowly levered himself up, and began to rub his face with his hands.

_I wish that tomboy didn't mallet me so much.And she didn't hafta hit me so hard.Damn, that was a freaky dream.Akane actin' so nice, and all that other strange stuff.Akane might not be a uncute tomboy all the time, but she hardly acts nice towards me, much less listens to me.Akane must have really hit me hard over the head._

Looking around, Ranma noticed Akane was kneeling nearby, as if she had been waiting for him to come to.She stayed silent where she was sitting, and just watched him with a slightly worried look on her face.Ranma looked down for a second, and after shaking his head to clear some of the cobwebs out, he asked Akane the time worn question, "What happened?"He looked at the back of his hands quizzically for a second, then looked back up at Akane."The last I remember was us talking, then ya malleting me.Did I say something dumb again, like insultin' ya or something?Ya must really have pounded me for it, since I had a pretty freaky dream."

Now one must understand, that while Akane wasn't a psychopathic girl, much less a sadistic one, Ranma was very used to waking up after a malleting due to the old 'foot-in-mouth' disease.And since he lived at the Tendo-ke, and hanged out around Akane, she received a rather large share of dumb comments, and was used to trying to help cure Ranma of his little condition by ye olde mallet.So it wasn't too much of a surprise to wake up in the position that he had.

Akane fidgeted a bit but, she stayed where she was.Then she stilled, and quietly asked, "What happened in your dream?"

Ranma gave her a odd look, then paused in thought, gathering the fragments of memory to make sense out of it."Well, at the beginning, I was practicing here in the dojo, tryin' out some new moves.Just after destroying a training dummy, kinda like how that was destroyed," he gestured at the pile of scrap metal swept into the corner, with something tugging at the corner of his mind, "ya came in and we began to talk. We seemed to talk for a little while, actually listening to one another, then I said something that set ya off, and ya hammered me.Then there were pink elephants dancing around, then there came a guy with spiky gold hair fightin a pink blob of a creature, with both flyin around.The realest was the one with an odd dragon in it.It wasn't a Chinese dragon, it had four legs and big wings, but not like bat wings, cause it had a blue energy glowing between the wing parts.And its color seemed to shift with the light.And it told me in a normal human like voice that I had to gather my kind together, cause we had to protect, and guide the world, and there was a great darkness coming we had to help the people through with.Then he roared 'awake' at me, and that's when I came through.Weird huh?"

Akane gave Ranma a very odd look, then blushed, and then looked down, a little embarrassed."The first part wasn't a dream, Ranma.Although the elephants, and everything else after was, the first part wasn't.We actually had a real talk and I guess I understand you a little more for it, but that wasn't all that happened."

"Really?What else happened then?Ya didn't do anything to me while I was out, did ya?" he said with a teasing tone in his voice.

Akane blushed badly, "Baka! That's not what I meant!"Calming down after realizing he was only teasing her, she continued."Sorry, .... anyways, you did something I've never seen you do before.It happened just before I connected with my mallet,"

"What, block?It's not like the damn mallet doesn't give me a headache or anything, ya know?My head's taken enough damage, thank ya."

Akane fired back a glare."Actually, that wasn't it, although you did try to block, it was something even more strange.You somehow made some metal blades shoot....... right out of the back of you hands, and they sliced through my mallet like it wasn't even there.They disappeared right after you where knocked unconscious from the mallet fragments, although you've only been out for a few minutes."

Ranma looked at Akane oddly."You're joking, right?After all, that couldn't possibly have happened.What would the chances be for something so strange would happen to me..... oh wait, of course this could happen.Everything else seems to happen to me anyways, so why would this be different."

Akane gave a slightly strained grin, "Well they did pop out of your hands, and they weren't your Nekoken claws, since they appeared to be metal.Why do you think that you have metal blades?"Akane paused for a second in thought."I wonder if the blades are a side effect of your curse."

"I hope not.And I sorta doubt it.After all, Herb has the same curse as me, and he don't have blades, or anything.Plus, if this happened before, wouldn't the spring be called 'spring of drowned girl with blades coming out of her hands'?But still, what caused this...... oh wait, I wonder if the old man, or mom knows anything about this."

"Well, you could always ask.One of them might be able to help.And if not, there is always Dr. Tofu."

"And what happens when Nabiki finds out?I'dbe thought of as a bigger freak than they think of me now."

"Baka!Nabiki wouldn't do such a thing!And how would she find out anyways?"

"Well she has the house wired!And look at what she did to me in the past!She's sold pictures of both of us, as well as sold me out numerous times.I have to wonder if she cares at all or just enjoys tormenting us, ya dumb tomboy."

Akane's face darkened."Well all I was doing was suggesting how you could find out about your problem.My sister does so care, and she would probably help you look for clues, without charging you.But the great Ranma is just a insensitive jerk!"

"I'd rather no-one knew.And I trust Nabiki about as much as I trust Oyiji, which is I trust her to do what's best for her, ya uncute girl!"

Akane looked pained, and turned around so he couldn't see the hurt on her face."Fine, see if I care.Next time, you can go to hell for all I care."Then she started to rise to leave.

Ranma, looking ashamed as he realized what he did, reached out and stopped her."Akane, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that.I'm just frustrated about everything, and now worried about these blades in my hands.I'll think about going to Nabiki for help, how's that?But right now, though, I'm goin' ta try to make these blades appear again.Would ya mind stayin with me for a little while.And maybe after I get the hangs of the things, we can spar for a little bit.Ok?"

Akane slowly turned back around."Ok Ranma, but make sure you go ask Nabiki.She really does feel bad about what she did, and I think she's willing to make up for it, perhaps even for free.Especially if you offer her some of my 'training' if she refuses.

Ranma nodded, then began to study his hands.Thinking back to the last time they appeared he pushed a flow of ki into his hands.Besides glowing hands, no blades emerged.Changing the temperature only seemed to result in a blazing aura around his hands, then a cold one, with ice gathering together on his skin.Although the combinations gave him some ideas, still no blades sprang out.

"Ranma, I don't think there was any kind of aura around your hands when they appeared.They just appeared to pop right out from your knuckles."

He took this into consideration, then tried bunching and relaxing different muscle groups on his hands and arms.Finally using the right ones, he felt a spasm, then saw six gleaming claws slide out of the back of his hands with a sibilant *SNIKT*.Turning his hand at different angles, he studied the claws on his hands.Each one was around 9 inches long, ended curving down to points, and where made of a shiny metal.They all came out over the spaces between the knuckles, giving the fingers some leeway of movement without being cut by them.

Akane looked in wonder at her fiancé with his silver claws and felt amazed that he shared another astonishing talent that the rest of the male population couldn't do.She suddenly felt bad about all the times she pushed him away, and called him a pervert in the past, especially in the light of her new discovery (a.k.a. someone finally shoved the truth into her head about Ryouga)._*If that Ryouga-buta shows up again, grrrrrr...I'm going to mallet him for a while, pause, then mallet him some more.I'll show him why not to use a pet to get between Ranma and me.He'll think the boulders hitting him during Cologne's training were love taps.When I'm done, we just might have bacon for breakfast.No, I can make breakfast for him while he's in his pig from, and shove it down his throat.And repeat for ALL the meals.Heh, I can even send P-chan to the vet to get him neutered. Then lets see what he does.Grrr...*_

Ranma stared with worry as Akane began emitting a fearsome battle aura, glowing a bright blue mixed a little with an angry red.Occasionally, a heavy, steel hammer would appear in her twitching hands.As she began to chuckle in a way that was so evil sounding as to put anything produced by Kodachi to shame, he backed away a little and noticed she was starting off into space.

Sensing movement, Akane came back to realize to see that Ranma was staring at her worriedly, and that there was a small amount of smoke drifting up from the floor she was sitting on."What?"

"Umm, ya started glowing for a little bit, and was chuckling evilly as well.Are ya all right?Your not mad about this are ya?"Ranma said, gesturing at his claws."Ya must really think I'm more of a freak than before.Ya must be really angry to find out that you're engaged to such a freak like me."

She smiled a small smile at that."No, Ranma, that wasn't it.I just found out something disturbing and was just thinking on how to fix it.I wasn't mad at you, only at another pervert.Don't worry about it."Akane said, with the small smile slowly growing into an evil grin.

"Oh, then I would hate to be the one you're mad at.Ya looked like you're going to make em sorry for whatever they did.Anyways, how in hell did this happen to me?I don't think I remember anything that would cause me to have blades popping out of my hands, much less metal ones."

"Don't you think you would remember something like that happening, or blades just coming out before.That's just too strange not to remember."

"Ummmm, actually, there are blank spots in my memory.Some are what's caused from the Neko-ken, just a little while, up to a few days, while a few are longer, and I know I can't remember anything for a few months after when I turned 12."

"Oh.How did that happen? Did you have an accident or something"?

"I don't know what happened.All that I can remember from it was my father looking relieved outside a strange building, then waking up in a room we had been staying in before.I can't remember much from the few weeks after, but I can't remember anything at all from the 2 or 3 weeks before that.Although, now that I think about it, before I broke bones occasionally while training, and what not, but afterwards, I never did, no matter what I did.Even when saving ya from all those things, the most I've done was pull some muscles."

"It might be that the metal covers your bones.That would explain what you've said.Hmmm, we should go to Dr. Tofu.He could probably help us, and since we've known him for years, he probably won't freak out."

Ranma looked startled."No, Akane!I don't want anyone knowing about this!They think I'm a big enough freak as it is!"

Akane lightly bopped Ranma with her mallet."Baka!Dr. Tofu's our family doctor and friend.I don't think he would tell anyone, even his friends, if we asked him not too."

"I don't know…"

"C'mon, what's knowing more about this is going to hurt?What, afraid to know more about what's been done to you?"

Ranma looked down."Alright Akane, ya win.We can go see Dr. Tofu tomorrow."Funny, and one would think that mysteries could be solved by an educated person, with a calm and rational (at least most of the time) mind.Hmmm, funny also how the ignorant can solve some mysteries better than the old, wise, or educated can.

Ranma and Akane continued to learn, not knowing what is in store for their future.While outside, things where beginning to feel the change, which had only begun during the battle with Saffron.Moreover, a being smiled at the play, and awaited the entrance of the fool.

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Speaking of which, Ryouga wasn't too far away, relatively speaking, not for him.And what was he doing, you may ask?Why the same thing we do everyni… err, I mean the same thing he does every day, which is training.He was training in the hopes of defeating that supposedly evil Ranma.(Just for a side thought, I wonder if he got most of his info about Ranma from Kuno.That would explain many things.)

The sounds of cracks, snaps, and pops filled the air of the big clearing, as Ryouga used the convenientpond for practice.Spectators stood at the edges of the trees, watching as this strange fellow somehow caused the water to freeze, and in strange formations at that.Why is there spectators?Because there are bound to be pedestrians in New York's Central Park.

Ryouga turned around with a smile on his face, and a frozen, victorious tear in his eye.and found himself outside a small town in Georgia.Of course, he didn't know, nor care, as his simple mind stayed focused on one thought.And that thought, as he so eloquently put it was, "Soon, Ranma, you will know hell!"Although, for some odd reason, he didn't say it with nearly as much feeling as when he said it many times in the past.And thus, he set out to find Ranma.Which meant he might not show up for a great while.

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A beautiful day is often a good thing to wake up to.It often brightens ones mood, and gives one self the sense that it will be a GOOD day.On the other hand, waking up, and finding that it is a wet, dreary day often has the opposite effect.Then, the waker usually develops a bad, grouchy mood, and there is often a since of doom floating in the air.
    
    Fortunately, or unfortunately as the case maybe, the Tendo-ke woke up to the to the latter type of day.Fortunately, because this place was the residence of one Kasumi Tendo, and it's well known that such bad feelings flee from her like women from Happosai's touch.Unfortunately, because rainy days are usually considered hellish for Jusenkyo cursed individuals, her attempts didn't meet with much success

today…Ranma slowly crawled out of the pond, growling all the while at the energetic panda.Said Panda-butt obviously had had a good night, most likely from _making up _with his wife half the night.

Grabbing the nearest boulder, Ranma picked it up, and then played 'whack the panda' with it.He ended the game with an overhead smash knocking the panda into the wall.Dropping the cracked boulder, Ranma turned away, and quickly turned back around when Genma bounced back to his feet.

Ranma attacked again, and although Genma went down, he never stayed down."Damn it Oyiji, just stay down will ya!"And with that, the red haired girl slipped briefly up to Amiguriken-speed, and ducked in with a massive uppercut that ended with a panda flying high into the air, and then splashing down for a landing in the koi pond to float face up.

As Ranma storms off to go get a bath, and change, in more in one sense, Nodoko sighs at the actions of her manly son, and husband.Sipping her tea, she turns around from her position at the table, to watch Kasumi bring in dishes, getting ready for the upcoming breakfast. In the kitchen, sounds could be heard as Akane went about boiling water for tea, and making sure that the rice cooker would be dealt with when it finished (it goes to prove, that with Kasumi's help, even Akane can eventually learn to be competent in the kitchen).With a slight frown, Nodoko shivered at the thought of what concoctions Akane had turned out in the past.

With another sigh, she got up, and went to retrieve Genma out of the koi pond by way of talking Soun into doing it.Meanwhile, the great Ice Queen formerly known as… err, Nabiki stumbled down the stairs, half dead to the world.Sitting down at the table, she poured herself a cup of tea, and took a nap, waiting for breakfast to be served.All in all, a mostly normal morning for the Tendo residence, although the energetic panda, and the satisfied women where both slightly unusual for this household.

Ranma and Akane rushed through breakfast, and took of in a cloud of dust running for school, in the hopes of not only being in school before the late bell, but also being early to school, in the hopes of not being held up by Kuno, since they should be arriving at the school before he would expect them to.With Ranma doing his normal running of the fence, and Akane with her sprinting, both took very little time to reach the school, although with no distractions from either Shampoo or Ukyou, they had no real obstacles to go through.

As they reached the gate, a figure in a dusty, yellow tunic, and wearing yellow with black spot headbands came wandering out from behind the wall.Ranma stopped short of running into the person, and the person, sensing people nearby, looked up while asking, "Do you know the way to get to Furinkan High School?"Reorganization washed over the travel worn face, as Ryouga immediately realized whom he was facing.

"Ranma, prepare for a beating like you've never received before!I'm going to pound you so hard, you'll be feeling it for years to come.Ranma, I challenge you to one final duel!"With that, Ryouga began cackling evilly, as if he had something new that would let him defeat Ranma once and for all.He suddenly stopped as he noticed the odd looks he was receiving from the pair (he had ignored the first weird looks, but this time, they where even more intense).

"A final duel huh?So that means ya want challenge me again even if ya lose.That would be great!We might even be able to be friends after this.But why don't ya wait to after school for the fight, since me an Akane don't wanna be late for class.If ya wait right here besides the wall, we can come get ya after class."

Ryouga scowled, but with a'Would you mind?' from Akane, he gave in, and sat down beside wall, watching the pair run off to class.Getting ready for a long wait, he watched other students file in, and even saw an idiot kendoist become late waiting for two people who had already went to class.

Author's Notes:

First of all, I would like to thank both HPackrat, and Firethorn for pre-reading this chapter for me.It helped me a lot, and I'm glad there are people who don't mind doing that for novices like me.

Second, I'm aware that there are some unanswered things in the story so far, and all I can say is that all will be answered in time, I think…But I do have the main plot worked out, as well as who has powers, what powers they do have, and why.But as I know I don't know everything, if someone sees some mistake about a power or something, I would gladly receive it.

Comments and Criticism is always welcome, as it helps improve my writing.Anyways, enjoy, and hopefully the third chapter will be out soon.


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